This week we have been busy helping with the Knox County Ag in the Classroom for fourth graders. We helped by teaching students about planting wildflowers and pumpkins. Also, the importance of crops and soil to Illinois and gave drone application demos. We believe it is important to teach younger generations about agriculture and what we do in ag retail to provide support to farmers. Paired with Ag Day, this event helped students get hands-on experience and learn more about agriculture.

Farmers are making good progress planting this week and many are expecting to wrap by the end of the weekend. The soil has finally become fit for planting; this has helped tremendously with field progress. We have also been planting corn/soybean variety test plots to evaluate throughout the growing season. This research will help us know which varieties perform better under this season’s growing conditions in a side-by-side setting.

In our travels this week we have been checking on emerged corn and soybean fields, focusing on emergence and crop stands. Farmers that have waited for optimal conditions for planting corn have finally received their wish. Soil temps have warmed and soils are not sticky to the feel. Now that most farmers have their crops in, we would welcome a nice steady rain to help with crop growth and development over the weeks to come.

Colder temperatures in the beginning of the week ranging in the mid-40s to low 50s overnight with highs in the 60s–70s, we finished the week with higher temperatures topping out in the mid-80s. Winds continued to be a problem for most of the week with many days in a wind advisory. We were blessed to have some nice sunny days this week despite the wind. A few scattered showers riddled the region on Tuesday and Friday mornings.

Tuesday, May 12, we received anywhere from 0.05–0.20 inches from scattered rain showers throughout our region. Friday morning, we also received from a trace to a few tenths of rain. More rainfall is forecast for the weekend and would be welcomed!

Soils are FINALLY ideal for planting in our region, and pre-emergent applications come to an end. The soil surface has continually become drier throughout the week, causing a crust on our soil. This, tied in with the windy conditions this week, has caused dust advisories in our region with common sightings of dust devils across the plains. The soil crust has made it harder for the crops to emerge. This has caused added stress to farmers in our region. Rainfall would help to eliminate this issue and be welcomed by many, now that the crops are mostly planted.

We have been finishing up pre-emerge herbicide applications, and farmers are wrapping up planting (at least for the first time).

Beans are continuing to develop slowly but surely. Soybean emergence on the last planted beans has been a little more of a struggle due to the crust. We have staged beans from VE–V2 growth stages due to the widespread planting date range.

Some farmers just this week are getting started with planting corn, holding out for optimal soil conditions to plant in. Others are done or have been done for a week or two now. We have staged corn from just planted to V3 growth stage. Farmers have been hesitant to plant corn this spring due to the colder soil temperatures.

We have a few acres of wheat that we oversee. Stages Feekes 5 to Feekes 10 boot/10.1 heading.